Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-01-28
/ Captain SUIT 81 / ligeets.

|fN83Hl0SGOn sCElllC H. 5
General n. q. Sherman has been
prio, minentl entitled with matters
affecting the world y history independ-
ont of His brilliant military career in
the Civil Var He drew up the first
official report to the Government ofthe
United States OF the discovery OF gold
ia California Gold was discovered in
che Spring Of 1s48 about 60 niles
above the present city OF Sacramento
General Mason was at thibt time in
command of the United States forces
4 ia California and acted as military
Governor, with headquarters at
Monterey, the capita OF the Territory,
General Sherman, then q young Lieu
tenant OF tine Third Artillery, was the
Adiutaat OF General Mason's staff.
Yerba sBuena, now the great city of
San Francisco, was but 81 undertaking
port of 400 native Inhabitants As
soon as gold was discovered Car tnin
Suffer went down to Monterey wit, q
quantity Of samples Of the precio is
me tai for the inspection OF the milf.
tary authorities. @
General Sherman, in a, conversation
with some friends q few evenings since,
referred to this Important historical
event substantially as follows:
Captain Sutter brought into General
Mason's Office several small packages
OF samples and spread them out before
us. The specimens presented varied
in:size from fish scales and split peas
up to the size OF beans. General
Mason asked if I knew how to test
whether this stuff was gold Or not /
said certainly, and Immediately tried
my teeth on lump and made an in
dentation, which impressed ne that
it WAS malleable. I then sent for O.
hammer and an axe and pounded sew
eral pieces out fat. This was d
crude but practical test, but we then
applied acids, which verified the fact
that the samples we're genuine gold. I
was at once sent up to the disgings
and made a thorough examination
of the gold discoveries which werelap,
idly being found in new localities and IN
wonderful amounts. retured TO Mon
tsrey with quantity OF specimen
samples and drew up the official re.
port to the Government, which was
signed by General Mason. This re-
port, accompanied by quantity OF,
samples OF gold, was forwarded by a
special bearer of dispatches, who was
no other than Henry D. Cooke, re-
Gently the first Governor of this IBIS
trict of Columbia. He was sent off
in a small vessel with instructions to
intercept q British steamer on the
Southern Coast and make rapid tran.
sit to Washington, regardless Of ex-'
pense. We had not then been advised
of the ratification of the treaty with
Mexico, .ceding California to the
United States, and were necessarily
very anxious that the Government
should possess information OF the
gold at the earliest moment"
Thus, less than forty years ago, "Old
Tecumseh's" teeth made the first Off
cial impress, put the first Government
stamp Of value on the gold delvei from
the mines of this modern land ci
Ophir. And it is fair presumption
that more than half ofthe 60, 900, 600
inhabitants of this Republic, who are
enjoying it's wonderful prosperity, re-
sulting largely from the discovery OF
gold in California, has been born since
| General Sherman indented the first
gold specimen with his teeth.